Top 9 Practical Hacks That Will Help You Get a Job Via LinkedIn

Top 9 Practical Hacks That Will Help You Get a Job Via LinkedInYou hear it from all of your job search experts leverage your LinkedIn profile Build your network for job search success And those are absolutely trueansicht days, LinkedIn is a necessary tool for any job hunt. But the question is, how do you turn your LinkedIn profile into a lean, mean, opportunity-generating machine? googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Lets look at 9 LinkedIn profile hacks that can boost your job search like crazy.1. Bulk Up Your ProfileFill in your profile may seem like a no-brainer, but youd be surprised how many people just fill in the basic outlines, thinking theyll go back later and do the rest, and never quite get around to it. Meanwhile, recruiters and hiring managers are searching LinkedIn, and you want your anthroponym to pop up for tailor-made opportunities.Make aya youre including these elements in your profile, at a bare tiefpunktA Professional PicP ick a headshot thats flattering, and professional enough that you wouldnt mind having your mom, your boss, or the HR rep at your dream company see it. Yes, your pet is awesome, but your selfie with Mr. Fluffypants the iguana is better-suited to your (private) Facebook page. If you can, get a professional photographer (or at least your cousin whos perpetually trying to get that photography business off the ground) to take your picture.A 1-2 Sentence Mission StatementThis is your elevator pitch. Its a quick summary of your professional identity/brand. Be creativedont just recycle your job title. You want it to be short, sweet, and chock full of keywords that are important to your industry.Your Personalized URLAll LinkedIn users get a generic URL. But did you know that you can also get one thats shorter and more personalized? While youre editing your profile, select the Edit link next to your public profile, and youll have the option to select a new URL. Again, keep it professional, an d use your name. And if you happen to have a common name, keep the variation as simple as you can. This is leid the spot to add creative words like ninja or rockstar.Your Job HistoryThis is important for two reasons a) your LinkedIn profile is like a living, breathing resume that you can update as often as you want and b) LinkedIn uses the data in your profile to forge links with companies and other users. You want this section to be as up to date and comprehensive as possible, to increase your networking opportunities.Education SummaryLike the job history, your education information can help boost your natural networking opportunities. You can select school, course of study, and any activities you too part in while there. This helps build connections that you might not have been able to get to otherwise. For example, I went to a very large state university, and knew only a small fraction of my graduating class. I also tend to hit delete automatically on alumni bulletins in my inbox . But via LinkedIn, Ive gotten more insight into classmates I never even knew existed, and can see how our careers fit together, even if we never crossed paths back on campus.Special SkillsThis is a great distributionspolitik to showcase skills that youve picked up along the way, even if you dont use them in your current position. This section also allows your connections to weigh in and endorse you, showing how awesome you are at said skills.ExperienceThis is the longer version of your headline, including context information that you want eignung employers to see. You dont need to go into every responsibility youve had at every job, but you have 2000 characters to create a pretty solid collection of your greatest hits.Your profile should look and read professional, but that doesnt mean you cant let your personality shine through. Witty and clever is goodbut again, dont go overboard. You want someone to be able to get you at a glance, not just your summary of accomplishments.2. Get InvolvedOnce youve set up your profile, dont just walk away and wait for people and opportunities to come to you. Be a good community memberthat means looking for connections, endorsing others, and interacting with others as much as possible on the platform. It shows that youre engaged and personable.If you join groups in LinkedIn, that lets you send messages directly to second- and third-degree connections, so this is a very useful tool to have.3. Know What to Leave OutSpambots love public social media profiles, so dont post your personal emaille address in any of the public fields unless you want to be weeding out weird spam messages for the rest of eternity. Anyone who reads your profile and wants to get in touch via the LinkedIn platform can do it without having MeMyselfAndI95hotmail.com in the headline. You want your LinkedIn profile to be complete, but you dont need to go overboard.Your LinkedIn profile doesnt have to march in lockstep with your other profiles and job search m aterials. For example, your resume and your LinkedIn profile should be a bit different.4. Build Your Rep In Your FieldWhile youre off being a good LinkedIn citizen and recommending people in your network, also work on answering questions in your field (assuming you know the answersdont make stuff up just for the sake of getting your name out there, because you also dont want to undermine your professional credibility). Answering questions helps get your name out in your industrys circles. And who knowsmaybe something you post will go LinkedIn viral, and youll gain exposure to people in your field that you wouldnt otherwise have been able to reach.5. Keep It CurrentUpdate your status daily, if you canor at the very least, a few times a week. The key to LinkedIn success is engaging with the platform as much as you can, so that youre maximizing your information and your connections. When you update, dont default to things like here are my thoughts on this political thing, or heres what Im doing for dinner tonight. Post an update thats relevant to your work or your skills, so that your target market sees youre committed to your professional brand. For example Just attended a great webinar on productivity, and am excited to try out Steves 4 Steps to Productive Greatness.6. Use KeywordsThis is especially helpful in your Skills section. If your industry has a very specific set of skills, make sure you list themthat is, if you actually have them. It would be pretty easy to disprove that youre not fluent in Italian and Swahili, no matter what your LinkedIn profile says. If youre looking for a job in social media, make sure youre listing all the platforms youre familiar with, and keep the section updated as new ones come out.7. Work Your LinkedIn Profile Into Your Application PackageLinkedIn has the potential to be a more dynamic tool than, say, your resume. Once you hit send on your resume or print it out for an interview, thats it. No changes for this particular job a pplication. But if you include your LinkedIn profile URL (remember that personalized URL we talked about?) with your contact info on your resume header, then your reader can go and find out all the wonderful extra information about you, your experience, and your skills beyond what fits in the short-and-sweet resume version.8. Spy On YourselfIf you use the LinkedIn app, you can search anonymously, but still see whos been reading your profile. So if you can see that someone from XYZ company was interested in your profile, you can add some custom keywords, skills, or information to better appeal.9. Save Your SearchesLinkedIn has a save searches function, which can help you keep track of specific job keywords or listings that youre interested in seeing. You can also set up alerts that let you know when these keywords pop up, so that youre not obsessively reviewing your searches all the time (unless, of course, you want to).No matter how you look at it, LinkedIn has the potential to be a n MVP in your job search. You get to decide how much (or how little) you want to interact with it, but the more you use it to your advantage, the more rewards youll get from the platform and the people and companies who rely on it to find great people for open jobs. Good luck, and happy linking